Leaderships Lessons Derived From Studying The Ant

LEADERSHIP Series: Lesson from the Ant

• Proverbs 6:6-11 (MSG) You lazy fool, look at an ant. Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two. Nobody has to tell it what to do. All summer it stores up food; at harvest it stockpiles provisions. So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing? How long before you get out of bed? A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there, sit back, take it easy--do you know what comes next? Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life, poverty your permanent houseguest!
• 6:6 (AMP) Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider her ways and be wise!—

• Job 12:7a, 9, 10 (NIV) "But ask the animals, and they will teach you…which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this [allowed calamity to befall Job]? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.
• Proverbs 30:25 (NASB) The ants are not a strong people, but they prepare their food in the summer;

The ants referred to in the Proverbs passage were one of the 100 species known in Biblical times – that one being the Harvester ants known for carrying seeds from a grain field, seed, by seed, to their own, secretive storehouses. (Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary,1986 Thomas Nelson Publishers.)

Here is a collection of 16 ant “behaviors” that mirror human behavior. Observe and be wise.

Armed Forces: During attack, they will raise up an army of specialized soldier ants
Career Training: Ants learn particular jobs, especially worker ants, then, on some schedule, change & learn new careers
Childcare: Ants feed their young and provide intensive nursery care
Civic Duties: During catastrophes, respond with massive group projects
Controlling Climate: Ant nests maintain a strict 77o F. for developing ants
Communications: Ants have a complex tactile, chemical communication system
Cultivation: They forage, but also grow underground gardens for food
Earth Movers: Ants move at least as much soil as earthworms – consider the size difference and then be astounded!
Education: Ants may be the only group of animals besides us in which interactive teaching behavior has been observed during their life: they teach younger ants the tricks of the trade.
Engineering: Incredible ability to tunnel from two directions and meet exactly midway
Flood Control: When building nests, incorporate water traps to keep out rain
Limited Free Will: It seems that ant inter-relationships more symbiotic than coercive
Livestock Farming: Ants will herd aphids down to their nest at night, "milk" them for nectar-like food, and when it warms during the day, herd the aphids back up to plants
Planning: Ants store food in the warm summer to feed a colony all of winter
Security: Ants maintain a security system, warding off other ants, insects, and animals
Social Planning: Colonies maintain ratio of worker ants, soldier ants, and ants tasked with reproducing

Sources include:
http://biology.arizona.edu/sciconn/lessons2/shindelman/background.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ant#cite_note-72


© Copyright 2009 P. Griffith Lindell